Quick-acting c clamp



April 28, 1953 J. c. GoLNlcK 2,636,528

QUICK-ACTING "c" CLAMP Filed April 24. 194s 'l (D GIM@ Patented Apr. 28,r 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE QUICK-ACTING o CLAMP John C. Golnick, Richmond, va. Application April 24, 1948, Serial No. 23,077

3 Claims.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in a quick acting clamp adapted for clamping articles together while being worked upon, the clamp commonly being referred to as a quick acting C clamp.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a clamp of this class so arranged and constructed that a screw threaded into clamping position may be easily and quickly released out of clamping position.

In such clamps the pieces are engaged against one leg of the clamp body and a presser foot which is swivelly mounted on the screw which is threaded to provide the clamping action. In many operations it is desirable after the work has been completed that the screw can be easily and quickly withdrawn to allow ample space between the presser foot and the engaging leg to insert other material to be worked upon. At the same time it is necessary that this releasing mechanism is such that it cannot be released accidentally.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a releasing mechanism so arranged and constructed that the screw may be easily and quickly released but only after a part of the clamping has been released on the screw.

Another object of the invention is the pro- Vision of a clamp of this class which will be simple in structure, economical to manufacture, durable, compact, and highly efficient in use.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of the invention with parts broken away and parts shown in section,

Eig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the clamping mechanism with the nut forming mechanism removed.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a retainer and nut forming member used in the invention.

As shown in the drawings the clamp embodies the body 9 having an engaging leg III at one end and a supporting leg at the opposite end, the leg Il being provided with a head |2 through which is formed a bore or passage I3. This head I2 is provided with a recess I4 leading into the passage I3 from one side and the recess having the upper and lower faces |'5 and I5 respectively inclined to the axis of the bore I3. This bore I3 is free from threads and projected through the bore I3 is the screw having the presser foot I8 swivelly mounted thereon an-d provided at the upper end with the wing nut |9 whereby the screw I1 may be rotated. A retainer is provided embodying the oppositely disposed walls 20 and 2| and the end wall 22 having the nut forming portion 24 thereon and provided with teeth for meshing with the teeth on the screw II. The teeth on the nut forming portion 24 do not extend completely around the screw I1 but substantially half the distance or slightly less. An end wall 25 is also mounted on this retainer and projecting inwardly from this end wall is a stud or pin 26 which centers one end of a coil spring 21, the other end of this coil spring 21 being centered by the stud 3| which is carried vby the plate 28. This plate 28 is provided with lateral extensions 29 and 30 and plate 28 is adapted to slidably engage between the walls 2| and 22. The head of the stud 3| is adapted to bear against the bottom of the recess 29a formed in the one side of the head I2.

In assembling the structure the retainer is positioned so as to embrace the head |2 with the nut forming portion 24 seated in the recess I4. The spring 2l and the plate 28 are in the position shown in Fig. 1. By pressing downwardly on the retainer the nut forming portion may be disengaged from the recess I4 whereupon the screw may be passed through the passage or bore I3 prior to the mounting of the presser foot |8 on the screw.

After the structure` has been assembled as shown in Fig. 1, the Ydevice may be used for clamping purposes and when material is clamped between the end of the leg Il) and the presser foot 8 the member 24 will serve as the nut in the threading operation to effect this clamping. As pressure is exerted upon the article to be clamped the pressure on the nut forming member will be upwardly and due to the incline surfaces I5 and I6 the nut forming member will have a tendency to move inwardly of the screw I'| thus more securely engaging the screw and preventing any disengagement of the threads on the nut forming member with the threads of the screw In order to release the nut forming member from the screw it will be necessary to move the retainer downwardly diagonally from the position shown in Fig. 1. However, when the clamping pressure is-exerted on the material clamped, the pressure on the nut forming memtically impossible.

ber will be directly opposed to the direction of movement of the retainer which would be necessary to eiect a release of the nut forming member, with a consequence that the releasing movement cannot be accomplished. It is necessary that the screw l1 be backed ofi a couple of the turns in order to release the pressure. After the screw has been reversely turned two or three times the retainer may be very easily moved downwardly so that,thenut-formingmember Will disengage from the lscrew il, whereupon the screw il may be lifted upwardly to provide the desired space between the member I8 and the end of the leg IB. While this provides arl-easy and quick method of releasing the screw to form a wide opening between the presserfoot 13 and the end leg i il it also affords a-mechanismwhere undue release could not be eiected. In other Words, when the clamping has been accomplished and the article is clamped between the end Aof the -eg lil andthe member i8 the functioning 'or operation of the releasing mechanism is kprac- Experience v has shown ,that Aa clamp arranged in this manner is most enicient in. use as it permits a quick removal of the presser foot away from the clamped material while at the same time the necessary security and safety desired in a mechanism of this type is present.

What I- claim is: 1. In a clamp .of theclass described a supporting' body; a head on said body having a passage kformed therethrough and provided on one side with a recess extending inwardly from the outsitioned in alignment with said screwpa frame; a nut forming member mounted on and projected inwardly from one end of said lframe, and enga-ge- .able in said recess andl provided 'on its inner side with threads engaging theV threads of said screw,

said frame embracing saidhead `and projecting outwardly beyond the same at the side opposite :to the side in which said recess isformed; a spring positioned in said traine and engaging at one end the inner surface of an end wall of `said frame; a plate; a stud projected 'through said .plate, and extending from opposite faces .there- =o1", one end of said stud entering the opposite end ofv said-spring, and the opposite'end or said stud engaging ina recess formed in said head within the marginal limits of saidiraine, saidplate extending into said frame; and a `gripping portion non `said plate extending beyond said'irame,

z2. -Infa clampof vthe class described, a supporting body; a head on said bodyY having a passage formed therethrough and provided on one side with a recess extending inwardly from the outer side of said head into said passage, the upper and .lower walls of ywhich recess extend atan angle with respect to the axis of said passage; va threaded screw-projected through said passage rsaid frame projecting outwardly from'said head at the side opposite to the side in which said recess is formed; a plate inserted into said frame `l'ietween said head and the outwardly projecting side of said frame, said plate lying in a plane parallel to the axis oi said screw; and a coil spring positioned in said frame and engaging at one end with the end wall of said frame and at its opposite end with the face of said plate, the axis of said spring being angular to the plane of said plate.

-3. In a clamp of the class described, a supporting body; a head on said body-having a passage .formed therethrough and provided on one side with a recess extending inwardly from the-outer side of said head into said passage, the upper and lower walls of which recess extend -at an angle with respect to the axis of said passage; a threaded screw projected through said passage and movable longitudinally thereof; an abutment jaw on said body positioned in alignment with saidscreW; a presser member on one end of said vscrew for .clamping on an object against said abutment jaw; a frame embracing said head and extended angulariy to the axis of said screw; a nutfrorming member mounted on and projected inwardly from one end of said frame andengagevable in said recess and `providedon its inner face with threads. engaging the threads of said screw,

said frame projecting outwardly from saidhead at the vside opposite to the side in which said recess is formed; a plate inserted into said frame between saidhead and the outwardly projecting sideof said frame, said plate lying in a plane `parallel to the axis of said screw; and a coil spring positioned in said frame and engaging at one end with the end wall ofsaid frame and atfits opposite end with the face of said plate, Vthe axis of said spring being angular to the plane of said plate; and an element carried by said plateengaging said opposite end of said screw and retaining the same in position in said frame.

JOHN C. GOLNICK.

References Cited in the le yof this patent ,UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date .150,900 Silverzetial May l2,'18'74 228,437 Bellows June 8, 1880 851,416 Hardy Apr. 23, 1907 1,380,653 Kilgour iJune '7, 1921 `1,804,007 Golnick May 5, 1931 2,463,263 Gordon Mar. 1, 1949 

